“I then divided Hoofddorp into zones, so every weekday evening I was at a different location to collect items. People brought their surplus toys to my collection point of the evening, and from there the goods were taken to storage at Eurobox Self Storage.” According to her, this was the best approach. “I couldn’t see myself racing around Hoofddorp.”
The idea for her drive came to Van Noordenne when she realised that the busy festive month of December was on its way again. “As a single mother, I know how hard it is to buy presents for my children every year, but I reminded myself that there are families who struggle even more than I do,” says the organiser. She’s referring to families in debt restructuring or whose parents have lost their jobs.
Van Noordenne received positive feedback during the collection. “Children who came to hand in their old toy cars said they would go home and look for more toys,” she says. What struck her further? “Even members of poor families came to drop off toys.” The collection went so well that Van Noordenne didn’t even get round to clearing out her own attic. “Because it’s still completely full.”
Toys for around a hundred families—where do you put all that? “Fortunately I was given a unit free of charge at Eurobox Self Storage Hoofddorp on the Graan voor Visch industrial estate, where I can temporarily store everything. It’s so full at the moment that there’s really no room left. I now have to start sorting.” Eurobox Self Storage later made an additional storage unit available free of charge.
The ‘Sinterklaas Action 2014’ got off to a great start, but it’s far from over. In fact, the most important part still needs to be arranged. “The venue for the party. We don’t have that yet,” says Van Noordenne. “All our attention is focused on that now. I hope to secure a free hall for it.”
Van Noordenne says that only poor families with children will be allowed to attend the party. “I’ll promote it in the Facebook group ‘Met de gesloten knip’, which many low-income residents of Hoofddorp have joined.”
